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Pilbara, Western Australia

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Strelley Literature Production Centre Collection

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Elsie Jititi Ginger

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Biographical informationBorn in Roebourne in 1961 where her family was collecting pearl shells, they shortly moved to Wodgina looking for minerals. Later they moved to Nile Mile, outside Port Hedland, where her father was working, fixing the railway line from Finnucane Island to Goldsworthy. Elsie was about ten or eleven when her family shifted to Strelley, where the school was in it's early days. Her mother, Beauty, attended with her to keep her disciplined.
Gwen Bucknall recalls, "Once we got going with printing the books we realised that for this to work well it had to be taught by Aboriginal teachers, not by any whitefellas who might think they know the language. The community in 1977 nominated quite a number of elders to be taught how to read and write in Nyangumarta. It included Jititi (Elsie Ginger) who was just leaving school and was the youngest selected. Monty and Fred did the teaching and I was coordinating in the background." And thus Elsie was the first girl to both learn to read and write in Nyangumarta, and to become a teacher.
By 1984, the program was run well with Nyangumarta and maths in the morning and English in the afternoon. Jititi and the other older girls were pivotal to the success of the program.
Monty, Rurla (Fred), Elsie and Bruce learnt to teach the children together, reading books and creating cards and worksheets to use in lessons. Three mornings a week, they would go down to Crow's Camp where Elsie was living. The teaching program was taught at both the Strelley and Warralong schools.
Jititi also recalls making some books, particularly liking hunting stories and Dreamtime stories. She is remembered by all as a fantastic teacher and a language worker of distinction. When teacher linguist Sue Leonard went across to Warralong in mid-1985 she remembers working with Jititi, Fred Bradman and Mirlimirli (Susie Rowlands): "She was wonderful young woman who was always in teaching and supporting the kids."
Jititi still lives at Strelley, although no longer teaching she goes into the school every day to sit with the children. She remains an important member of the Strelley School community to this day.Date of birth1961

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Kujarra Kangkurujirripa Murtuka

Kujarra Pupukajirri

Person

Barbara Hale

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Content adviceCulturally sensitive

Family

ParentFather - Ginger Macer (aka Major)Mother - Beauty Yellibut

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Subject (person)Gwen BucknallBruce Turrkuwanti ThomasFred Rurla BradmanMonty Minyjun HaleSusie Mirlimirli RowlandsSubject (place)Roebourne Strelley, Western AustraliaWarralongPilbara, Western AustraliaRelated collectionStrelley Literature Production Centre Collection

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Elsie Jititi Ginger

THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA